More Evil Wizard Cards... ideas

[Kurgan]

I've been looking at Odanan's expanded Evil Wizard/Evil Power deck and will probably use some of his ideas (great stuff!).

As with the general usage of this homebrew "threat deck" when there are no monsters on the board, Zargon gets to draw a card and either play it immediately or keep it for later use (some require it to be used when drawn) and he can keep up to three in hand and either draw a new one (and discard one of the three) or play it immediately. The original wording was "Zargon may..." meaning he doesn't have to draw a card. In practice when I've used them, as Zargon I tend once I get the three cards I want for the quest, I hang onto them (usually saving them for the final confrontation or big fight if there is one). And the Heroes don't see what was drawn until it is played. It doesn't necessarily make the quest any shorter, but it does give the GM something to do if the players are clearing things out or exploring lonely areas. It keeps the tension going even after they've "cleared out" the map (though to be frank, many quests end on kind of an anticlimax when the main treasure is found or the main bad guy is eliminated... and the rules don't specifically say you always have to escape via the stairs afterward).

I had a few ideas of my own to add...

The "Monster Shield" is a boss preservation power that lets you swap places with any weaker monster in the room to take the damage intended for the particular monster (unless the monster dies in which case he just absorbs the hit). Inspired by the "heroic sacrifice" Combat Card.

"Chaotic Defense" lets the designated bad guy use blue dice to defend (doesn't protect against magic) until the end of the quest. The equivalent if you don't have the blue dice is letting them defend with white shields like a hero (doubling their odds of defense). It doesn't have to be a named character, it can be any monster you designate, just like the above but will usually be a boss type character.

A more recent one, without getting too crazy:

Fimir Pheromones!

Any Fimir may target one Hero or Mercenary. The character may not attack the Fimir until (on the good guy turn) they are able to roll 1 red die for each of their Mind points and roll a 6, in which case they resist the effects. Until they have broken free they not only can't attack the Fimir but any Fimir. The bonus is that if they do break free, they may roll 1 extra white combat die attacking a Fimir for the following round only. I'm tempted to say direct Magic attacks (on Fimir only) are prevented as well by this ability.

Does breaking the "spell" count as the action? I'm inclined to think that it isn't, so they can still move and attack other monsters even if they fail.

Pull Rank! (Might need a better title for this one)

Using ideas presented in the quest book... Orcs outrank Goblins, Fimirs outrank Orcs and Gargoyles outrank Fimirs.
If one of the above monsters is in the room or corridor with one they outrank, then the minions will get a dice bonus when attacking and defending as long the hierarchy is in the same location together.

Toying with what the bonus would be (I don't want it to override the "Scrolls of Battle" ideas where flanking characters give bonuses).

Maybe the Goblin would get to substitute one purple or orange die for attack and a second white die for defense (too strong?).

Same for the Orc.
Same for the Fimir.
The Gargoyle* gets nothing.
The highest rank monster class doesn't get the bonus, but if there's a Gargoyle*, the Fimir and the Orc get their bonuses and not just the goblin.

* Since Gargoyles are so rare, maybe a Chaos Warrior could work here as well, or as a substitute.

I didn't think the same should apply to Undead as they're all just magical mind controlled as it is. It could be that if the one who summoned them is in the room they'd be stronger but that feels like it would always apply. Maybe that could be used as well just to get some more use out of the card. Would mummies command zombies that command skeletons? I'm tempted to just say it wouldn't apply to undead. Any suggestions here?